In These Times of Hardship, Just Remember: We Are Groot
by Dawnstorm101
Summary: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 SPOILERS LIE BEYOND. Suffice it to say, the Guardians have had a very, very long day, particularly Peter and Rocket. Naturally, there are some words that need to be said. Now with a surprise chapter 2 starring Kraglin. It should probably be its own story, but there was a good segway to the new chapter...
1. Chapter 1

A/N: _**GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 SPOILERS BELOW.**_

Asdfghjkl this movie was amazing. It was funny and heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. Like a drama wrapped in a fun sci-fi superhero package. I'm in love. And also completely, totally devastated because THAT is not what I wanted for Ego at all. I knew going in that the guy was a jerk, but _dang_... I know why they went that direction and I'm not bashing the movie, but I really wanna "fix" pretty much everything after the big murderous reveal because _there is so much awesome potential for humor and family awesomeness if Ego and Yondu live and Peter has superpowers_. I mean, just imagine Peter fighting _Thanos_ as _PAC-MAN._ I could honestly go on and on about the "Imagine this" stuff.

Alas, this is not the fic in which that happens. This is the fic that accepts canon because it really was a brilliant movie. Which I am seeing again tomorrow. And I can't wait.

* * *

Gamora's foot bounced a wild rhythm as she waited, waited, waited for the door to open. The ship throbbed around her, its noises revving up as the beam activated to drag in the stranded men. Footsteps pounded towards her from behind, ringing against the worn metal flooring, from the heavy _thuds_ of Drax's steps to the faint clicking of Rocket's claws. But despite their momentum, Gamora was the first to reach the two people who tumbled through the small opening.

Only one moved.

"No," Peter rasped, scrambling to all fours over Yondu. "No no no, Yondu! Don't leave me, please don't leave me," he begged, shaking the ice-covered man.

Gamora dropped to her knees, reaching out to check for a pulse, but only icy stillness greeted her fingertips. Yondu's stare held nothing, no hint of emotion as his adopted son shook him and begged him to live, his cheeks shining with tears.

"He's gone, Peter," Gamora murmured, reaching hesitantly for Peter's hand.

He jerked his hand away, turning an angry, tear-filled gaze on her. "No!" he protested. He glanced up at the others, who stood in the doorway, stunned into silence. "Somebody do something!"

Rocket, his own eyes glistening, took a step closer. "Quill…"

Peter stiffened, clawing at the spacesuit he wore. "You," he snarled. "You gave him this stuff, didn't you? You gave him everything he needed to die!"

Rocket held his paws up in surrender. "I tried, Quill. I tried to stop him. But he… he said he wanted to do right by you, just this once."

"You think this is doing right by me?" Peter yelled, shaking Yondu's lifeless body. "Both of my fathers just died in my arms!"

"Yondu may have known that would happen," Drax pointed out quietly. "But it is better to see your child live through grief than to not live at all."

Something changed in Peter's expression, the agony-powered rage shifting to something more broken, but still he tried to protest. "But he-"

A final shockwave rocked the ship.

Peter broke off with a gasp. His limbs gave him and he hit the floor with a _clang_. White energy sparked around his fingers, grey light flashing through his irises. His chest heaved and his jaw gaped in a soundless scream; his hand found a fistful of Yondu's jacket and clenched, his knuckles turning snow white.

It all happened before Gamora could even blink.

"Peter!" she cried, lunging to grab him. But he lashed out at her touch, blinded by panic and pain. Tired from her desperate escape and aching from when Rocket shot her, he easily batted her aside. Drax was there in a heartbeat, pinning Peter's arms to his torso before he could hurt himself. Gamora pushed herself upright and pried Peter's hand free of Yondu's jacket, then clamped down on his kicking legs and helped Drax carry him to the infirmary.

-GOTG-

When Peter opened his eyes again, everything hurt. Blinking slowly, he squinted in confusion, wondering why he was back in a Ravager infirmary. What passed for an infirmary, anyway. It was far from a clean establishment, looking much like the crowded, rusty, rundown rest of the ship, but-

 _Yondu._

Memories crashed over him like a tidal wave. Memories of dads and fathers, of love and betrayal, of lost and found, of joy and grief.

Of life and death.

He tried to sit up, but a pair of paws pushed him back down, gentle but firm. Peter didn't protest, a killer headache erupting as soon as he moved. He flopped back down and turned his head, cracking open one eye to look at his teammate. Shimmering teardrops had caught in the fur on his muzzle, but he made no move to wipe them off.

"How ya feelin'?" Rocket asked, his voice raspy.

"Crappy," Peter responded, feebly lifting a hand to rub his head.

Rocket hopped off his seat and rummaged in a drawer, eventually returning to Peter's bedside and holding out an open bottle of pain pills. "The planet dying apparently hurt you, too. Nothin' major, just enough to knock you flat and make ya nuts for about half an hour. Then ya crashed for a couple hours. Looks like you'll be fine with some rest."

Peter picked out a pill and dry swallowed it, letting his eye shut for a moment. "Being half Celestial comes with all the perks," he joked drily.

Rocket snorted. "Totally."

Silence reigned for a few moments, until Peter finally found the strength to say "Uh, listen, what I said… about you being responsible-"

Rocket waved a paw dismissively. "Naw man, I get it. Ya just lost both of your remaining parents, and I did give Yondu the tools to die. I should carry more stuff in the future," he added bitterly.

Peter refrained from shaking his head at the last second. "You couldn't have known," he murmured. He turned his head away. "I should've fought harder, better. Moved faster."

"No, Quill, you can't-"

"I froze," Peter snapped, opening both eyes as he looked back at Rocket. "Ego disintegrated and I just _sat there._ I-"

"No!" Rocket snarled. "You do not get to blame this on yourself. This was all Ego. It was his decision to have you and get you to that cursed planet and nearly get all of us killed. Any reaction you had was uncontrollable. Douchebag or not, your _father_ just died, Quill, by _our_ hands, by _my_ bomb. Ya don't just walk away from that."

Peter stared at Rocket, searching for some hint of a lie, but there was only aggressive honesty beneath the layer of unshed tears. "When did you start giving inspiring emotional speeches?" he muttered, letting his eyes close as the meds began to hit him.

Rocket took a moment to respond, and Peter was almost too asleep to hear the quiet voice when he finally did.

"When Yondu turned into my dad, too."

-GOTG-

After Nebula left, Gamora made her way back to the infirmary. Rocket sat in a chair watching over Peter, his tail curled around his legs while his head and arms rested on the armrest.

"How is he?" Gamora asked, walking up to Peter's side.

Rocket shrugged a little. "His head hurts, I think, so I let him have a pain pill. And he feels… stuff."

Gamora arched a brow at that vagueness. "Stuff, hm? I am not surprised."

"I'd have yer head checked out if you weren't," Rocket grunted. "Dude's had one helluva day. We all have."

She picked up Peter's hand, wondering if that electric white power would run through it ever again. For the moment, she forgot that she wasn't supposed to acknowledge their unspoken thing in any way. He had gained much in the last day, and promptly lost it all.

 _No,_ she told herself, rubbing her thumb in small circles over the back of his hand. _Not all._

"But he's here," she pointed out, lifting her gaze to Rocket. "As am I. As are Drax, Mantis, Kraglin, Groot, and the entire universe. Thanks to you."

Rocket started to shrug, then cut himself off. And offered up a feeble smile instead. "You're welcome."

Gamora leaned over Peter, and Rocket stretched up to meet her. She lightly kissed the top of his head. "You're a hero, Rocket. You're our family. Don't let anyone tell you you're anything less."

Rocket smiled.

And promptly fell off the chair.

"Ow," he grumbled.

Gamora just chuckled.

It was good to know that, despite everything, there was smiling and laughter in their futures.

-GOTG-

Once Peter was awake and ready to give a eulogy, they gathered for the funeral. Afterwards, everyone disappeared, going their own ways. Peter had gone off to curl up with his new music player; Drax and Mantis were playing a game in Drax's quarters; Kraglin was piloting the ship; and Gamora and Rocket had gone off by themselves. Groot had stayed with Drax and Mantis for a little while, but now he was bored. So he toddled off to find someone else.

It didn't take too long, especially considering Groot's stubby legs took a little while to carry him down a single hallway. But soon enough, he heard thin strands of music, and followed the sound to its source: Peter's quarters. With some effort, he convinced the door to open and walked inside, greeted by a rather small room with some rickety dressers, a bed, and not much else. On one dresser sat the Zune, quietly playing an unfamiliar song.

On that bed lay Peter, Gamora, and Rocket.

Peter lay flat on his back, still fully clothed. Gamora stretched out on her side, pressed against him, her arm draped over his chest and her head nestled on his shoulder. Rocket had curled up atop Gamora, his fluffy tail draping over her arm and Peter's chest. Groot smiled to himself, happy to see the ever-bickering trio peaceful and harmonious at last.

Sleep sounded like a good idea, Groot realized as he watched their chests rise and fall in sleepy unison. Carefully, he clambered onto the bed and crawled onto Peter, headed for his customary spot by Rocket. As he settled amidst the fluffy tail fur, the tail curled around him – and kept curling, until it held Peter's hand, Gamora's hand, and Groot in one embrace.

Had he been a cat, Groot would've purred. Instead, as he slipped into sleep, Groot whispered the words they didn't know he knew.

"We are Groot."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So this was supposed to be a one-shot, but looking back, I forgot to go into detail about some stuff, mainly Peter's feelings about Ego, so here, have a surprise chapter 2!

* * *

Peter stared at the ceiling.

He should've been fast asleep. He was certainly exhausted, and he ached all over, and he just wanted to forget that Yondu was… gone. The sensations of Groot's sleepy baby noises, Gamora's warmth by his side, Rocket's gentle snoring, and the way his hand was intertwined with Gamora's hand, Rocket's tail, and little Groot should've lulled him to sleep.

And yet, here he was, staring at the ceiling. And _mourning Ego._ He was lying in bed, ignoring the comfort of his real family while _mourning_ the loss of that egotistical family killer. His mom, Yondu, and dozens or hundreds or maybe even more of his half-siblings dead by Ego's hand, and Peter was _mourning_ him.

Suddenly, guilt's bitter taste rose in his throat, and Peter scrambled out of bed, beelining for the small bathroom attached to the room. Groot whined and Rocket grunted as his sudden absence sent them tumbling to the bed, and another surge of guilt hit him right before he dropped to his knees and puked his guts into the toilet.

By the time he finished, panting and trembling, Gamora was kneeling beside him, holding his arm bracingly and rubbing his back. "What's wrong, Peter?"

He leaned against the wall, avoiding her gaze. How could he explain what he was feeling? He had felt Ego trapping her, suffocating her, crushing her beneath heavy rocks. He had floated there, stabbed by more tentacles of power than he cared to count, struggling with everything he had, and been unable to stop his father from killing everyone he loved. And through that, he had wanted to cry. For Ego.

"I…" he tried, but trailed off, shaking his head.

"Is it your connection to that light?" Gamora asked, handing him a damp towel.

Carefully, Peter wiped his mouth, and shot a grateful look at Rocket as the raccoon filled a glass of water for him. "It- it is, sort of," he answered. "But-"

"You miss him," a new voice stated.

Peter's gaze jumped up, startled by Kraglin's sudden appearance. He stood in the doorway to the bathroom, arms closely loosely over his chest, awkwardly trying to look at Peter while not noticing his vulnerability, Yondu's arrow holstered at his hip.

"W-what?" Peter stammered, already realizing the surprisingly perceptive Ravager had guessed his secret. He had always been able to guess, ever since Peter was little.

"You miss Ego," Kraglin clarified, pointedly meeting Peter's gaze.

Gamora leaned back suddenly, as if repulsed, staring at Peter as if he'd grown a second head. "You _what_?" she demanded.

Peter reached out for her. "I can sort of exp-"

"Tyrannical 'fathers' are nothing to miss," she snapped.

 _How_ dare _she be mad? She dragged me into this!_

"Ego isn't Th-"

"Shut it!" Kraglin commanded, stepping between them. "Both of ya, shut it before ya say somethin' you regret. You three, stay," he added, pointing at Gamora, Rocket, and Groot. "Pete, come with me."

With a little help from Kraglin's proffered hand, Peter hauled himself to his feet. The older Ravager led him away from the others, towards the back of the ship, until they stood in a small, round alcove walled by windows. There, Kraglin leaned against the window, stuffing one hand into his pocket.

Peter crossed his arms defensively. "Why are we here?" he muttered.

"It's natural, ya know," Kraglin told him, "to miss your father."

Peter searched Kraglin's face for hints of deception, but he saw nothing. "But-" he tried to protest.

The Ravager overrode him, brushing his fingers against the arrow as he spoke. "You know where Yondu came from, right?" he checked.

"Sold into slavery by his parents," Peter replied. _And Ego would've enslaved me…_

Kraglin nodded. "Well, early on, he looked for 'em, even though it was clear they didn't care 'bout him. He looked and looked and looked. Nearly wasted all of our resources doin' it. And when we finally did find 'em, it was just what you'd expect – they didn't care. Only said they weren't givin' back the money cause he'd escaped. Still, it devastated him. Drank almost endlessly and holed himself up for weeks after that. Then we started getting jobs from Ego, and I guess the money cheered him up enough, until he realized what was happenin' to your siblings. Then he devoted his life to keepin' you safe, even from us."

"I wish he'd been there," Peter sighed, glancing out the window to where the fireworks had lit up space, "when Ego showed up. Would've saved us a lot of pain."

"I doubt you would'a listened, Pete. You always been stubborn, just like the cap'n," Kraglin observed. "My point is, is that your parents can do whatever, and some part of you will always miss 'em. You'll go through life wonderin' 'What if?'"

"What if he loved her – loved us – enough to stop," Peter murmured, closing his eyes, remembering the thrill of power tingling through his veins, the warmth that filled him when he tossed and caught the ball of light, the pride when Ego smiled at him.

And then the feeling of his universe crashing down around him.

"But he didn't," Peter snarled, kicking the window violently. "He killed my mom. He crushed my Walkman. _And he killed Yondu._ He doesn't _deserve_ to be mourned!"

Kraglin tugged him away from the window. "That Ego doesn't. But the Ego that _could'a_ been does. Just like Yondu mourned the mental picture of loving parents, you'll mourn that handful of memories of a loving dad."

Peter clenched his eyes shut. "I should've- Why didn't Yondu ever tell me?"

"To protect ya," Kraglin explained simply, cautiously releasing him. "He wanted you to have those happy dreams, not a pile of dead siblings."

"I-I never told him-" Peter mumbled, slumping against the window.

Kraglin cut him off, clasping Peter's shoulder. "There was never a need to. He knew," he promised. "Cap'n always knew how you felt. Well, except when you was a teenager. You human kids and your hormones."

They shared a chuckle that faded quickly. Silence reigned for a moment as they looked at each other, silently acknowledging what would never be said aloud. "You know, for a Ravager, you're pretty good at this heart-to-heart thing," Peter half-joked.

Kraglin laughed, but his words were serious. "Guess we're all different inside when it counts."

Peter closed his eyes, reflecting on his space pirate dad, ex-assassin maybe-girlfriend, still-sorta-thief brother, former-destroyer friend, and his ex-Ravager self. "Yeah," he agreed quietly. "I guess we are."

"Now, I think you might wanna explain all this to your girl," Kraglin suggested, pointing down the corridor. "She looked mighty upset back there."

"There's no need for that. Though you might have to apologize to Groot."

Peter and Kraglin jumped backwards in unison as Gamora appeared from behind a wall, smirking a little at their terror. She came to stand beside Peter, hooking one finger around his own finger as she looked up at him. "I shouldn't have snapped," she apologized quietly. "I guess I'd understand if I didn't remember my real father."

"Well, I'm glad you remember him," Peter told her, leaning so their foreheads touched. He smiled softly as he felt her let herself relax against him.

Kraglin cleared his throat. "I'm, uh, I'm just gonna… go eat. Yeah. Eat. You two… have fun."

As he scooted off, Peter lifted his head. "And Kraglin," he called.

The Ravager who might as well be his uncle paused in his escape. "Yeah?"

 _"Now, boy, if anything ever happens while I'm away, you go to Kraglin, got it?" Yondu instructed, kneeling in front of a somewhat-freshly-kidnapped Peter. "He'll keep ya safe."_

"Yondu wasn't keeping me safe from you," Peter told him. "He trusted you with my life, right from the start."

Kraglin grinned, glowing like a little brother receiving the greatest gift of his life.

* * *

A/N: I've never written Kraglin before. My initial thought for his role here was Gamora, but I decided some good ole Ravager bonding was necessary. Bad grammar normally bothers me, but writing him is actually kinda fun. And now I really wanna rewatch GOTG 1 since I'm now muuuuuuch more attached to him. But alas, it's 12:50am, and starting a movie right now would not be a good idea.


End file.
